Keypad Locks 101

The main purpose of a lock is to keep a facility or piece of property secure, whether it’s a home, office or automobile. With that being said, there are a bevy of different kinds of locks that work to fulfill this purpose. There’s traditional key locks, deadbolt locks, combination locks, padlocks, cam locks, and, last but not least, keypad locks. While it may be needless to say, some locks are more effective than others at protecting property.

This post will focus on keypad locks and their benefits in commercial, residential and automobile settings – one of the best types of locks for safeguarding property. Specifically, a keypad lock is one that works without a key. In lieu of a key to grant entry to a facility or piece of property, there’s instead a numerical pad, similar to what you’d find on a telephone or basic calculator. Entry is granted when a user punches in the correct pin code. There are many big benefits to choosing keypad locks over conventional locking mechanisms to protect a facility or piece of property, perhaps the biggest being that it’s much more convenient. Since it eliminates the necessity of keys, there’s no need to carry them around, keep track of copies that are made and have to change locks when a key is stolen or misplaced. There’s no clanging around of keys in your pocket or keys scratching up your pants, either.

Here’s a look at some other benefits of keypad locks:

More secure: Keypad locks have a different hardware makeup than other types of locks. For instance, they don’t have cylinders in their makeup, so they essentially cannot be picked or bumped like conventional locks can. This keeps the facility or property that they’re protecting generally more secure. What’s more is that instead of risking losing keys and having to change out the lock, all that you need to change is the security pin code when using a keypad. It’s simple and convenient to do so.

Enhanced durability: We’ve all been there before – having to shimmy a key a certain way within a lock to get it to turn properly. Generally, this is due to wear and tear on the lock after so many different openings and closings. Keypads on the other hand are much more durable than conventional locks, making them longer lasting and eliminating the typical troubleshooting that you may run into after time with a standard key lock or deadbolt lock.

Time-determined locking: One of the coolest benefits of keypad locks is that they’re “smarter” than conventional lock sets. For instance, some models of keypad locks can actually be scheduled so that doors can only be opened during certain times of the day. This comes in handy for business owners who want to limit employee access to certain parts of an office complex during certain times of the day. For homeowners, this feature can help offer further peace of mind, as there’s no worry or second guessing having locked the front door at night. In this sense, keypad locks are much more convenient and user friendly when compared to standard locks that have to be manually locked and unlocked.

Easy installation: Many property owners think that if they want to install a keypad lock, they’ll have to make major adjustments to door frames. That’s not true. In most cases, keypad locks are able to be easily installed in standard door frames and able to be installed just like any standard lock. Keypads are a standalone lock, so there’s no need to wire a power source to the door to operate them. In fact, keypad locks are either mechanical or work on standard batteries.

Based on the above benefits, you can see why keypad locks have become increasingly popular in residential, commercial and vehicle settings. In home settings, there’s no need to assign children spare keys to the house to gain access after school, just a simple pin code for them to memorize instead. There’s also no need to assign family members spare keys – and risk them losing them or risk losing track of the spares yourself. In business settings, owners can help restrict access to certain parts of their facilities and restrict entry altogether during non-business or non-working hours of the day. And in terms of vehicles, there’s clear benefits to preventing breaking and entering, and owners can better rest assured that any confidential information or property – like stereo systems, GPS systems and briefcases – are better guarded when the car is parked and not in operation, wherever it is that it may be.

One thing that is worth noting about keypads, however, is that they’re generally more expensive than conventional locks. For instance, if a standard deadbolt lock costs $20, a keypad might cost over $100. Cost, of course, of any lock – let alone a keypad – is based on quality. For many, the additional cost of a keypad lock might be well worth it based on all of the benefits that we’ve listed above here. And because of their enhanced durability, it’s likely that keypad locks will last much longer than the standard door lock, saving the homeowner money in the long run.

At Great Valley Lockshop, we’ve been installing and servicing all kinds of locks – including keypads – in and around Pennsylvania since 1973. For more information on the benefits of keypad locks and how they might be able to better serve your home, office or vehicle, contact Great Valley Lockshop today by calling (610) 644-5334

Written byChris Strauss

Chris is a Locksmith by trade and the owner of Great Valley Lockshop in Malvern PA. Chris is a volunteer firefighter and "Life Member" for East Whiteland Township Volunteer Fire Company and a huge Nascar fan who loves to go camping and enjoys the outdoors.